In today's world, there is an ever-growing concern about limiting and controlling access to areas containing highly-sensitive information and personnel, such as Department of Defense and Department of Energy facilities, research laboratories, airports and military installations. There is also concern about protecting the security of students, such as on high school or university campuses. In the private sector, business operations that occupy large areas, such as hotels and resorts, cruise liner terminals, airports, country clubs, container ports, and large multi-level parking facilities, have a need for monitoring and controlling vehicular access to various zones within the area occupied by the business. Security and vehicular access control may also be mandated for private gated communities.
Prior security systems designed to monitor and control access to such facilities have been lacking in many respects. What is required, therefore, is an improved integrated security system for automatically controlling access to secure areas, for monitoring the movements of vehicles that have been granted access to the secure areas and for providing information in real time to both manned and unmanned security locations regarding such access and movements.